On a festive Christmas Eve in 2018, the holiday cheer in Lutcher, Louisiana, was shattered by gunfire that left two young men dead and two others wounded. Thaddeus Watis, a 20-year-old male, was killed in the shooting that erupted outside the Neighborhood Lounge on Main Street. The violence unfolded as a party was taking place following the annual Festival of the Bonfires, a popular local tradition.
Another man, 23-year-old Dedrick Paul Green Jr., was also fatally wounded in the incident and died after being transported to a hospital. Two other individuals, a 25-year-old and a 15-year-old, sustained injuries but survived.
The St. James Parish Sheriff's Office responded to a chaotic scene with hundreds of people fleeing in every direction. Investigators recovered numerous bullet casings, a rifle, and a handgun from the area. While a definitive motive was not immediately established, authorities suspected the shooting may have stemmed from a rivalry between young men from Lutcher and the nearby community of Convent. The tragic event cut short the life of Watis, who was a college football player at Arkansas Baptist College and was home for the Christmas break.
In the weeks that followed the deadly shooting, law enforcement identified and apprehended two suspects. Tyquan Twendell Williams, 24 at the time, was arrested in January 2019. Shortly after, 21-year-old Jermain Lee Lewis Jr. was taken into custody with the assistance of U.S. Marshals in Baton Rouge. Both men were charged with second-degree murder in connection with the deaths of Thaddeus Watis and Dedrick Paul Green Jr. Lewis was held on a $375,000 bond following his arrest. The arrests brought a measure of progress in the investigation, offering the first steps toward justice for the victims and their families.
